


Down by the River

by addledwalrus



Category: Original Work
Genre: 1950s, Big Brothers, Books, Brother-Sister Relationships, Childhood, Class Differences, Dreams, Education, Family, Gen, Generation Gap, Historical, Historical References, Ice Cream, Innocence, Korean Characters, Korean War, Missing Persons, Motherhood, Parent-Child Relationship, Shoes, Sibling Rivalry, Siblings, Slice of Life, Teenagers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-09
Updated: 2020-10-31
Packaged: 2021-03-06 01:34:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 3,038
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25795216
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/addledwalrus/pseuds/addledwalrus
Summary: A family of seven go about their lives one humid summer's day, unaware that war will soon throw their world into complete disarray.
Kudos: 1





	1. Introduction

A family of seven goes about their lives one humid summer's day, unaware that war will soon throw their world into complete disarray.

* * *

The Baek Family:

Grandfather Baek, born 1890s

Grandmother Baek, born 1890s

Jeong-nam, born 1914 (age 36)

Myung-sook, born 1915 (age 35)

Young-sik, born 1934 (age 16)

Young-ja, born 1936 (age 14)

Ki-jung, born 1941 (age 9)

* * *

This is a short historical story that focuses on civilian life before the outbreak of the Korean War. The entirety of it takes place on June 23, 1950.


	2. Tram Ride

_"Why, Gods, did you have to make today so hot?"_

Ki-jung wiped away the sweat on his forehead, as he accompanied his older sister Young-ja home from school, satchels slung over both of their shoulders. The sun was still bright enough that their shadows stretched quite some distance away from their bodies and merged with those of other pedestrians on the street.

While continuing to feel Young-ja's palm against his own, he fixated on one particular shadow carrying a basket, then shifted his eyes upward to learn that the person was a stern-looking woman probably on her way to pick up a child.

The woman paid him and his sister no heed while leaving his scope of vision. His attention turned back to the hot weather and what he could do to cool himself down later.

Bathing was an obligation that continued to fill him with dread, mainly due to how relentless their mother could be when scrubbing his skin or pouring water upon his head.

It was a shame that she still didn't trust him enough to bathe alone when both of his siblings could do so without hassle.

He guessed that this was the problem with being the youngest child in the family. It didn't matter how old he was or how responsible he proved himself to be; they would always see him as a baby when all was said and done.

It was a prospect that only made him more disappointed when Young-ja grabbed his wrist and urged him to hurry before they both missed the tram.

He obliged and broke into a run just as she did, despite his already sore feet. They rushed on to the road, narrowly dodging a man upon a bicycle and maneuvered their way around other would-be passengers until they arrived at the stop where the already packed tram awaited.

Young-ja jumped on first and then extended her hand to help him climb in. He took it, and as he did so, the people behind them instinctively shrunk back to allow them a little more space.

The tram doors slammed shut immediately afterward, leaving the two of them with no choice but to cling to each other so they wouldn't be jostled apart by those around them.

Just like the previous afternoon, the open windows that lined the tram did nothing to expel the lingering smell of sweat and grime, and Ki-jung reached up to block his nose while keeping his focus solely on the floor.

Whether Young-ja felt a similar level of discomfort hardly mattered to him. He just wanted this trip to be over soon, and to his relief, a blessing eventually came in the form of Young-ja expressing her desire to get off a stop early.

He followed her back outside as soon as the doors opened once more, and this time, she started running without warning. As a result, he struggled to catch up, and in no time, she'd disappeared and left him to trudge home alone.

"Some big sister you are!" he shouted so that everyone around him would hear. "Wait until I tell Ma!"

He stomped his foot and blew a raspberry to further express his annoyance before the ring of a bell caught his attention. He spun around and, much to his pleasant surprise, recognized the smiling man pushing a bicycle with a wooden crate mounted at the back.

The man gave him a friendly wave, and sure enough, Ki-jung lost all composure as he realized that what was inside the crate would be the remedy to his hot and sweaty state.

"Ice cream!" he squealed, jumping up and clapping his hands together in excitement.


	3. Bookshop

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Japanese occupation of Korea, which lasted from 1910 to 1945, will be referenced heavily in this chapter.

Young-ja was excited to be free of her younger brother, if only for a few minutes. The lack of space and fresh air inside the tram was suffocating, and she couldn't wait to get off one stop early to visit one of her favorite places in the city.

As for Ki-jung, he was old enough to walk home by himself, and she figured that their mother wouldn't be too bothered by her leaving him behind. He was approaching the age of ten, and it was about time that he started depending on her less.

With this train of thought, she drove the last inkling of doubt from her mind and act according to her own desires. As the tram driver brought the vehicle to a stop, she laid both eyes upon the nearby doors, and the moment they opened up, leaped on to the road without hesitation before charging towards her destination.

A wizened and bespectacled old Japanese man had managed this bookshop during the occupation, and since then, ownership had been transferred to a local couple about the same age as her own parents.

She slowed down to a brisk walk before entering the store and immediately feeling amazed at how cool it was inside. She sighed in relief and spent a few moments, observing her surroundings and recalling the many changes that had occurred over the years.

The most significant difference was perhaps the absence of the Rising Sun Flag that had once hung behind the counter. Its exact fate was unknown, but one could conclude that it had been destroyed like many other remnants of Japanese rule.

It was no doubt a good thing that her countrymen had been so eager to reclaim their identities as Koreans, but the systemic changes that had taken place since then had brought a young child like her much struggle and confusion.

She'd spent her first few years of school learning and communicating almost entirely in Japanese, to the point that hearing her parents and grandparents speak their native language at home had often been a jarring experience.

Even now, she sometimes found the sound of her own birth name a little odd. Many of her former teachers had addressed her as 'Hideko-chan,' and she had to admit that it was a slightly more endearing moniker.

Still, she knew that it wasn't right for somebody as young as her to dwell so much on the past. She needed to look to the future once more and consider the benefits of being well-versed in two languages.

In fact, the current state of affairs in the nation had also recently inspired her to pursue a new aspiration, which was to learn English.

She'd spent the past few months borrowing money from her brother Young-sik and saving up to buy a dictionary.

If she was lucky, then today would be the fateful day. She needed only to browse the right part of the store, select something affordable, and then make her purchase at the counter.

Afterward, she would study hard every day until she became a master, no matter how long it took.

A smile spread across her face, and excitement rose inside of her, reaching it's peak before an inopportune interruption caused her hopes to come crashing back down.

"Young-ja!" Ki-jung's voice sounded deafeningly behind her. "The ice cream man's outside! Come on!"


	4. Shoeshine

The awning above Young-sik was hardly large enough to shield him from the sun, as he leaned forward on his stool to begin shining the shoes of his current customer.

They had to be a businessman or some other white-collar worker, judging by the fedora and heavy gray suit that caused them to sweat excessively even in the shade. However, rather than remove a layer of clothing as would be wise, they instead pulled out a handkerchief to dab at their damp forehead, before stuffing it back into their pocket.

Young-sik found this mildly infuriating in more ways than one and sought to broach the subject as politely as possible.

"Sir, I can't do my job if you keep moving. Take off your jacket if you feel uncomfortable."

The man acknowledged his presence for the first time, by glaring harshly down at him.

"Absolutely not. It would be indecent, and I am not some tramp like you."

They shoved their shoe rudely back in his face for extra measure, and Young-sik knew that he needed to tolerate it, no matter how much he wanted to quit and walk away.

After all, he had a duty to help support his family, and he could always complain later to his friend and coworker Kyung-soo. The two of them had both dropped out of school a couple of years prior and then became shoeshine boys to make themselves useful somehow.

As someone who had never excelled at academic pursuits, he'd initially found it liberating to work and earn his own money. It allowed him to occasionally afford luxuries such as ice cream, and at some point last year, he'd even made enough to buy a ticket to see the film _Breaking the Wall_ in a theater.

He didn't think that he would ever forget the excitement of watching actors move and speak on the screen as if it were real life, and what it had been just as pleasing, was the fact that the film hadn't contained a single ounce of the garbage that was Japanese nationalism.

Unfortunately, polishing shoes for countless strangers every day had a way of becoming tedious beyond belief. He now longed desperately for a change, he'd even begun to envy his sister Young-ja for staying in school. After all, she was destined to work a comfortable job as a teacher or secretary for a few years, then marry a man of their parents' choosing and spend the rest of her days as a coddled housewife.

He'd be lucky to get a factory job and earn barely enough to feed his future wife and children. It would be a miserable existence, and as a result, he figured that it'd be wise to treasure these years while they lasted.

Still, he couldn't help but imagine other possibilities, as he finished polishing the businessman's shoes and beckoned for the next customer to come forward.

He'd lived in Seoul for all of his life, and a part of him still hoped to travel beyond the city's boundaries someday. His grandparents had originated from a village over a hundred miles to the south and migrated here before the birth of his parents, so it struck him as unjust that he should be forever confined to the same place.

Then again, the circumstances had been much different back then, with men such as his grandfather being forced by the Japanese to help build a railroad that stretched all the way to the port city of Pusan.

In contrast, he was a young man living in a liberated country, and he guessed that one had to be grateful for such good fortune.

Perhaps, when this division between North and South was resolved, his parents would allow him to travel and resettle wherever he wished.


	5. Condolences

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter features a case of parental favoritism, along with references to the fate that befell many 'comfort women' during the Second World War.

Like many other housewives in Seoul, Myung-sook awoke at the crack of dawn, an hour before everybody else, to carry out the duties that had been part of her daily routine since she'd gotten married at the age of eighteen.

She was now thirty-five years of age, with a sixteen-year-old son who was always running off without explanation, a daughter who was more interested in books than people, and a nine-year-old who was still dependent on her in so many ways.

In addition, her father and mother-in-law were getting on in years and no longer capable of working hard like they'd used to, thus bringing the burden of maintaining the household on her shoulders, while Young-sik and her husband Jeong-nam did all they could to bring in enough money.

She seldom had much time to dally or daydream, with this morning being no exception. There was a small mirror that she always kept by her bed, and she looked into it while combing and fastening her hair into a tight bun.

After stepping over the bodies of the still sleeping Jeong-nam and his parents, she entered the kitchen to rinse her mouth with saltwater and soak a pot of rice for breakfast before heading out to purchase fresh herbs and vegetables at the market.

The first flickers of sunlight on the horizon caught her attention as she changed from slippers to rubber shoes.

Bright yellow and orange rays against a dark sky made for a sight worthy of a painting, but knowing what would happen if she arrived at the market even a couple of minutes late, Myung-sook urged herself to look away.

She would need to beat the usual morning crowd if she was to acquire the ingredients with the best value, so without further ado, she began running to reach her destination even sooner.

* * *

It was almost mid-morning by the time Myung-sook arrived at a local well to draw some water for her laundry.

In her vicinity, a few other women were already hunched over and hard at work. They paid her no attention, but she still felt a little inadequate while dipping her bucket in the water and making sure not to take too much.

From there, she lugged her bucket away from the well, shuffling across the dusty ground towards where the basket of soiled clothes awaited.

Sweat rolled down her back, and she tried to look on the bright side by reassuring herself that with this unpleasant heat, everything would be dry in just a couple of hours.

She got down on her knees and retrieved her washboard before the sound of gravel being crunched underfoot prompted her to look up.

A lone woman stood a few yards away, her styled hair, fair skin, and sundress being enough to raise Myung-sook's eyebrows.

Classy or wealthy ladies simply didn't wander into the more impoverished areas of Seoul unless they were lost or engaging in dishonest business, so she rose to confront the newcomer.

"What are you doing here? Can I help you?"

The lady flinched before composing herself and closing the distance between them. "Yes. There's something I must ask you..."

"Go ahead," Myung-sook replied, despite her own doubts. The scent of the lady's flowery perfume reached her nostrils, and because of this, she couldn't help but wonder if her sweaty state was a source of disgust for such a person.

However, if the lady was bothered by something like that, she clearly wasn't showing it. In fact, the look in her eyes could be even described as pleading as she reached into her purse and pulled out a framed portrait.

"This...this is my daughter Eun-hye," she explained, holding the photograph of a young girl for Myung-sook to see. "Does her face look familiar to you?"

Myung-sook observed the girl's features and noted that in addition to being quite pretty, she possessed an unmistakable resemblance to the lady standing in front of her. They were undoubtedly mother and daughter, and having been reminded of her own bond with fourteen-year-old Young-ja, she now felt compelled to help in some way.

"I cannot say that she does," she answered softly. "But have you thought of going to the police? It's part of their job to find missing-"

"We've already tried." The lady interrupted, her expression becoming pained. "They can't help us without witnesses."

"Witnesses?" Myung-sook asked, growing uncomfortable all over.

"I know someone must have seen Eun-hye that day. We just have to find them..."

The lady gave a sniff and paused to wipe a tear from her eye before continuing weakly. Myung-sook contemplated whether it would be appropriate to touch her in reassurance.

"Would you mind telling me what happened to your daughter?" she spoke up cautiously after deciding against it and opting to keep her hands to herself.

The lady nodded, then resumed speaking. "It...it's been six years. My husband had lost his job, and because of it, we fell on hard times. Eun-hye wanted to help so badly, and one day, she accepted an offer from a munitions factory in Tokyo. We made her promise to write to us each month, but..."

"But what?"

"She never did. Not even once."

"That sounds terrible," was all Myung-sook could bring herself to say.

"I know that you don't recognize her, but is there any chance that you know of someone who was recruiting young girls at the time? Eun-hye told us that there were others..."

Myung-sook wracked her brain for any hearsay or suspicious goings-on that she may have witnessed in the past, but nothing seemed to align with the disappearance of the lady's daughter.

"No, I don't. I'm sorry..." She shook her head in resignation and watched as the lady's hopeful expression faded completely.

The lady tucked the photograph back into her purse with a deep breath. "That...that's alright. I'll ask somebody else. Thank you for your time..."

She stepped aside before striding past Myung-sook and two other women who had undoubtedly raised their heads to listen in on the conversation.

They averted their eyes and pretended to be absorbed in scrubbing clothes, but their act wasn't very convincing.

The lady disappeared between two houses, and it was then that Myung-sook realized they would more than likely never encounter each other again.

With a heavy heart, she knelt down once more to begin washing her son Young-sik's singlet, all the while feeling sorrow for the lady's loss and hoping that there would one day be a breakthrough concerning Eun-hye's whereabouts.

After all, only heaven knew whether she would be able to recover if a similar fate befell Young-ja. The fourteen-year-old was her only daughter and, therefore, precious to a degree that far exceeded her two sons.

For that reason, she decided that in the event of a crisis, Young-ja would be the one she'd protect first, followed by the boys, and finally, her parents-in-law.


End file.
